Upper Street Events claims the first Harrogate edition of The Knitting and Stitching Show attracted 25,000 visitors in November.

The show at the Harrogate International Centre housed 320 exhibitors and 150 workshops at the Harrogate International Centre from 22 to 25 November.

The show was bought as part of a five-event deal by Upper Street from Creative Exhibitions.

The event included an initiative called Sleeping Bag project, which saw students from Huddersfield University reclaim sleeping bags from summer music festivals, which were laundered, creatively customised and given to the homeless. Harrogate’s Hall F was also turned into a mock music festival where students offered visitors the chance to get involved in the project by ‘upcycling’ discarded sleeping bags.

A ‘First Steps Lounge’ offered free drop-in sessions in knitting, crochet and sewing, an area the organiser intends to develop for future editions.

“The Knitting and Stitching Show continues to be an annual highlight for creative people in the North of England. We were delighted with the look and feel of the show and feedback from our visitors suggests they enjoyed a wonderful day out as usual,” said marketing manager Anna Baptiste.

“We will continue to work hard to strengthen the winning format, which includes displays to inspire, great shopping, a wide range of classes for learning as well as interactive features to convert the newcomer.”